Dacera’s remains now at PNP Headquarters for ‘solemn’ wake

Photo from the Instagram account of Christine Dacera

MANILA, Philippines — The remains of flight attendant Christine Angelica Dacera were brought to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, late Wednesday afternoon for a “solemn and disruption-free” wake, according to the police force’s spokesman.

PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Ildebrandi Usana said the victim’s remains were at Camp Crame’s mortuary, where only family members are allowed inside.

“It does have something to do with a safe, solemn, and disruption-free environment that the family requested the PNP for a departed member [before] they fly to General Santos City po,” explained Usana in a text message to reporters.

Usana said the private funeral service will take place in Camp Crame before Dacera’s corpse is transported to her hometown, General Santos City, on Thursday, January 7.

“It’s a small thing to grant that request to [the] family of [the] victim and we have a chapel,” Usana noted, speaking partly in Filipino.

Dacera was found unconscious in an empty bathtub of a hotel in Makati City on New Year’s Day after an alleged New Year’s Eve party with friends. She was later declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.

According to police, there was foul play in Dacera’s death and filed a provisional charge of rape with homicide before the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office against 11 individuals, including the 23-year-old flight attendant’s friends who were with her during the party. Three of the 11 people were under police custody.

Police also said it considers Dacera’s case “closed” since they already identified all the suspects.

However, the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office referred the complaint back to the police and ordered the release of the three suspects in its custody.

The city prosecutor pointed out that the case needs further investigation and directed the police to submit additional evidence such as a DNA analysis report, toxicology/chemical analysis, and the histopath examination report.

KGA

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